Disclaimer:  No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the author.  All rights reserved.  Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

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"I love you…." Colin cried to the empty hall.  His head was buried in his hands.  The door had been closed and he didn't have the willpower to open it again.  He knew he should go in and make things right, but he was afraid of what she might say.

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It had all started with a harmless high school reunion.  Colin, escorted by his wife Debra had flown back to Toronto where he grew up.  He was excited at the prospect of reuniting with old pals and showing off the spouse no one had met yet.  You see, this was the first gathering in fifteen years that he was able to attend. 

The hotel was booked, the flights arranged and everything was going smoothly, until that night. 

Debra was sick.  There was no denying it.  She definitely had the flu… headache, fever, sore throat, the whole nine yards.  Colin was devastated and torn.  He didn't know whether to go to the reunion, or to stay at the hotel and care for his sick wife. 

He didn't even know if he wanted to go without her.  For the past weeks he had been secretly relishing at the prospect of showing off how successful and happy he had become.  All those people were wrong about him in his youth and in order to close that door, he had to flaunt it a little.

In the end, she had insisted he go on to the party with out her.  After all, it was his reunion and they had traveled so far.   So, the chicken soup was ordered and Colin was handsomely dressed.  He cautiously kissed his wife goodbye and headed out to the reunion.

The high-school gymnasium was exactly how Colin had remembered it.  Well, not exactly.  He had spent much of his time in that room with a concussion from one sport or another.  In all honesty, just walking in there made him feel queasy and disoriented.

The room was decorated in blue and yellow streamers and balloons.  Tables had been set up for dinner, and a distinct area of the wooden floor was roped off for dancing.  The school mascot, which was painted by members of Colin's graduating class, was still present above the scoreboard.

Roughly a hundred people were already occupying the gym, and they were expecting another hundred to filter through by the end of the night. 

Colin stood nervously in the doorway.  He stared around, trying to find someone he could recognize.  Everyone had changed from how he had remembered, except for one person.

In the blink of an eye, a gorgeous, leggy-blond was wrapping her arms around Colin.  He gasped, breathing in her strong perfume.  As they broke from the embrace Colin exclaimed, "Cindy…it's so good to see you!" 

She flashed a toothy smile, lipstick-red lips drawn back in excitement.  Cindy was Colin's high school flame…. well, okay, more like high school fantasy.  She was the head cheerleader with a 4.0 average.  No, she wasn't smart; she just…let's say…sucked up to the teachers… especially the male ones.  Regardless, she'd never paid Colin the time of day.  He couldn't believe that she was hanging all over him now. 

"I heard you're a big star," she praised, running her hands down his arms. 

Colin looked at the ground.  "Well…uh…um…yeah, I guess so."

"So, where's your wife… if you're so successful?" she prodded.

Colin didn't like the way this conversation was heading.  Cindy's physical appearance hadn't changed much and neither did her forward personality.

"She's sick.  At the hotel," he said.

"Oooh…that's too bad," Cindy replied.  "I did so want to meet the woman who stole your heart."

Colin smiled meekly.  He was afraid of her…very afraid.

"Wanna go somewhere more…private?  I have something I've been meaning to tell you…" she asked seductively. 

"Um…sure," Colin replied, still terrified.  She took him by the arm and led him down the stairs and into the girls' locker room.  Colin shuddered as she shut the door behind her.  Cindy came up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"How…how are you?" he asked, politely.  He was trying to hide the fact that she was making him extremely uncomfortable.

Cindy laughed in his face.  "Oh, I'm fine now," she said grinning.  "I've been waiting for this for a long time."  She ran a finger slowly down his cheek.

"I…I'm…married," he stammered.

"I heard that," she hissed.  In a split second transformation, she went from sensually scary to overly ditzy.  In a high-school, valley-girl type way she spouted, "Hey!  Remember that time in high school…"

Colin swallowed and licked his lips.  "Uh…what time?" he asked, still pressed against the wall.

"Oh, you know," she said, flipping her hair.  "When you beat me out for valedictorian?" 

Colin chuckled.  "Oh… yeah," he said nervously.

Her voice suddenly changed to one of anger.  "Do you know what that did to me?" she hissed, shoving him hard against the wall.

Colin couldn't speak.  He was too taken aback by her sudden transformation.

"You ruined my life."  She said, glaring him down.

"Uh…um…I didn't do anything," he stuttered.

She intensified her glare, if that was possible, "Well, it was so close between you and I for that seat, remember?"

Colin gazed at the ceiling in thought.  "Yeah.  It was close…but then, it wasn't anymore."

"That's right, remember why?" she hissed, pinning him to the wall.

Colin tried, but he couldn't recollect, so she explained.  "They had to investigate grades to decide, and when they did, they found that all my tests were failing.  Turns out that some of the teachers were just giving me A's…who knew that's what a couple blow jobs paid back then."

Colin swallowed. 

"I lost my seat as valedictorian because of you," she continued.  "I also lost my scholarship, my relationship, and my cheerleading spot.  Not to mention my pride," she added with a swat of her hair.

"I'm sorry." Colin said honestly.  "I had no idea."  He knew damn well her situation wasn't his fault, but seeing as she was stronger than him, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"You called me a dumb blonde," she said, pushing his chest harder with her right hand.  "But, none of that matters now.  It's about time you decided to come to one of these stupid reunions.  I've been to the past five in a row just trying to hunt you down." 

Colin's heart began to race.  He started breathing rapidly and nervously wet his lips.

"You see," she explained, "I can't make up for the past.  No, that's gone.  But what I can do is make your life the hell that mine was."

Colin blinked as she shoved again.  He couldn't believe this was actually happening.

"I'm going to ruin your marriage, and your career with the same thing that ruined mine," she hissed as her hand began to unbutton his shirt.

The events that were to follow occurred in such rapid succession that even Colin didn't understand them all.  There were two phone calls, one to Mrs. Mochrie and the other to the National Inquirer; the unfortunate disappearance of a wedding band; the unzipping of a certain pair of khaki dress pants; and a few quick flicks of a Polaroid camera.

Poor Colin never knew what hit him.  When the deed was done, Cindy strode out of the locker room, leaving our man with his pants around his ankles.  Colin quickly gathered himself, so to speak, and left the building immediately.

He rushed back to the hotel, just as Cindy knew he would.  She was waiting for him, oh yes she was waiting.  Colin knew she had more planned, he only hoped he could explain before it got out of hand.

Colin flew into the elevator and up to his room, frantically digging for the hotel key in his back pocket.  When he'd finally overcome the shaking enough to unlock the door, he threw it open and practically jumped inside. 

"Oh my God," he exclaimed, shutting the door quickly behind him.  "You are not going to believe what happened to me tonight."  Colin sighed in relief as he leaned against the door.

Debra was sitting on the hotel chair in one corner of the room.  She waved a handful of photographs at him, and then threw them on the bed.  "Try me," she scowled.

"Holy shit," he said, grabbing the photos.  "That bitch took pictures."

"I think this belongs to you too," Debra said, hurling his wedding ring at him.  It landed on the floor. 

"Oh, thank God," he exclaimed in relief.  "I thought I lost it."

Debra clenched her teeth.  "Tell me why I'm still here," she hissed.

"I can explain…I think…. yes, yes, I can explain," he stammered.

Debra rolled her eyes up at him, hoping to the lord above that he could.  Her illness from before had been pushed aside to accommodate for the more immediate problems.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.  A familiar voice swooned,  "Oh Andrew…are you in there?"

Colin closed his eyes and swore.  He tried to ignore Cindy who was calling out his middle name. 

"Answer it." Debra said plainly.

"Wait," Colin pleaded, "Let me explain."

She shook her head.  "Either you answer it now, or I will."

"The doorman said this was your room…I have a surprise for you…" Colin heard from outside.

He hung his head and slowly unlocked the door as his wife asked.  Swallowing hard, he swung it open knowing all too well what was in store.

Debra sat, arms folded as the woman from the photos entered their hotel room.  Cindy didn't waste anytime in wrapping her hands around Colin's neck.  As she kissed him, he tried to back away but her nails were digging into his skin.  "Watch this," she hissed so that only he could hear.

Cindy turned slyly as Colin tried to pry away from her.  Her eyes met Debra's in a heated stare.  "Who…is that?"  Cindy asked, shoving Colin aside and pointing to Debra.

"Well…uh…" Colin couldn't form words to save his soul, so Debra did the talking for him.

"That," she said, "is his wife."

"You're married?!?"  Cindy exclaimed in fake hysteria.  "Oh my God!  Do you do nothing but lie?"  She swatted at him, but he ducked before she made contact with his face.  "I mean, the last time I caught you with someone else you said it was a one-time thing…but now you're married?"

"The last time?" Debra whispered in disbelief.  Cindy continued reaming Colin.  "What do you think I am? Just some dumb blonde?"

"No." Colin managed to say.  "My wife…I…" He gave up on talking to Cindy and hurried over to Debra.  He grabbed her hand, but she pushed him away.  "She…" Colin pointed to Cindy who was now crying.  "She set me up!" he insisted.

Cindy lifted her head.  "I set you up?" she cried before Debra could answer.  "You said you loved me.  You never loved me!" she screamed and stomped her feet. 

Colin could see the anger fade from his wife's eyes only to be replaced by hurt and disbelief.  "I'm so sorry," he whispered.  "You have to believe me," he told her.

Cindy continued, "How many trophies do you need Andrew?" she shouted, heading for the door.

"Andrew?" Debra asked shaking her head in disbelief.

"You," Cindy said pointing to Colin's chest,  "should stick with the dumb blonde you married." She was storming out of the room when she turned and added,  "…And you can forget about seeing our daughter again."  Then she slammed the door behind her.

"Daughter?!" Colin squealed in shock.  He shook off the lies and returned attention to his wife.  "Deb, you have to believe me."

"Get out," she said steadily.

"But, I…I can explain."  Colin begged.

"Get out," she repeated, her soft voice still unwavering.

"I love you," he pleaded.  "I'd never…there's no way…"

"Apparently there was, and you did," she said fighting back tears.  "Now get out."

Colin swallowed and looked at her with one last, silent plea.  He closed his eyes as he heard her whisper, "Please…just go."

Colin nodded solemnly.  The battle was over, at least for now.  He knew Debra didn't want him to see her cry; so he gave up.  On his way out the door, Colin retrieved the wedding band from the floor where it lay.  He slipped it in the familiar place on his left ring finger, and then left without another word.

As he closed the door, Colin could hear his wife start to weep.  He sunk to the hallway floor and buried his head in his knees.

"You know…" the voice said cockily.  "There's something you should never do."  Cindy strode toward him and stopped when her shoes were directly in front of his face. 

"Never, underestimate a blonde."  She waved a finger at him and stooped down so he would have to look at her.  "We may be dumb, but we're patient," she hissed.

Cindy smiled evilly and tossed another photo in his lap before sauntering down the hall. 


To Let You Go (Dumb Blondes Pt II)